Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-12-21
Miste1Ianeur1s &eading.
For the YOrkyille Enquirer.
THE GRADED SCHOOL QUESTION.


EDITOR OF THE ENQUIRER: l
have read the articles from "Tax-
payer" and "Education" with much
interest. 1 hope the school question
will be agitated until every man and
woman will be alive to the impor-
tance of high grade of public
schools. | have been greatly surpris-
ed to hear men of intelligence say:
II have no children to educate and
1 am unwilling to pay for the educa-
ton Of other peoples children"
Why, what would we think of a
man refusing to work the public
roads because he had no vehicles
to run over them? When the war
ragged between the States, how
many of cur South Carolina soldiers
were forced to leave their quiet,
humble homes and 60 to the tented
field, and when there had to get
other hands to write the dear ones at
home, Many were required to pour
out their hearts blood for their coun-
try which had never educated them
sufficiently to read its own constitu-
ton.
North and South Carolina are
among the most illiterate of all the
States. How far, how very far, in
education, wealth and prosperity are
all the States who have long had a
system of public schools, in advance
of those who have not, can be ascer-
tanned by referring to our statistics.
Public schools are crying neces-
sity to any nation. Let us not with
hold our hands from this all i'm
portant-work. We have a cOmpe-
tent and conscientious School Com
missioner in York county, and if we
will aid him In his work all will be
we'll. "Let US then be up and doing"
X. Y. Il.
FORT MILL, S. G.
CHURCH HOSPITALITY.
The statement of the Rev. DIR.
Strong, says the st. Louis Globe
Democrat, that of the 60,000,000 peo-
pie in this country, 30,000,000 rarely,
if ever, enter a Church, is a startling
and impressive one, and it certainly
behooves the religious element of
the population to devise measures for
the provement of such condition
of things. There are various reasons
why the general attendance at places
of public worship is not larger; and
chief among them isthe want of hos
pitality on the part of Church Off
GERS and members. The stranger
cannot be expected to 60 more than
once where he is received with chill
ing formality and Indifference. He
has a right to assume, under such
circumstances, that he'is not wanted.
and he cannot be blamed if his self
respect keeps him at home when he
knows that treatment of that kind
awaits him in the sanctuary. In
theory, all classes of people are well
come wherever the Gospel is preach
ed but, in fact, most of our Church
es are governed by the same phi
losophy of selection or exclusiveness
which prevails in society, and the
stranger within the gates is slighted
and humiliated accordingly. The
right of complaint in such a case is
valueless, because no worthy person
will consent to exercise it; and the
result is that a great many people
who would be glad to 60 to Church
are in a certain sense actually pre-
vented from doing so by those whose
pleasure it should be to assist and
encourage them in that respect.
We are not speaking particularly
of the poor and addressed. The dis
elimination does not pertain eXclu-
sively to such persons, it includes
everybody who is unable for any
reason to present social credentials of
an approved sort. The fact is noto-
rious that the fashionable Church
and all Churches of this day and
time are more or less fashionable
practically shuts it's doors against the
public as rigidly as that same public
is excluded from private drawing
rooms; and the comforts and bless
ings of religious services are thus
made to take on the aspect Of special
privileges. 1t is idle to look for in
creased attendance so long as this
policy stands uncorrected. If there
is any one place in the world above
all others where hospitality should
be practiced as an incessant and sur
passing duty, it is in the house of
God; and the multitude cannot be
persuaded to 60 there in the absence
of that inducement. The work of
enlarging the congregations must
begin and be mainly carried on in
side of the Churches. That is where
the worst of the difficulty lies. The
Indifference of those who remain on
the outside is due not half so much
to choice upon their part as to the
forbidding atmosphere which they
are sure to encounter if they venture
to enter; and the situation can beim-
proved only by making people hear
tily welcome on religious grounds
alone, instead of dealing with them
strictly according to social rules and
considerations.
THE FATAL TREE.-1n 1886, Fort
Gaines was a little more than an In
dian fort. Early in the spring of
that memorable wear. while hostile